I am a bit behind on my reading this year. I find I am constantly distracted and reading more than I should at one time, thereby not making much progress on anything. I received this story as an ARC from Netgalley and while I was suppose to review it several weeks ago, I say better late than never!

This was not a usual choice of mine. At heart, if I have a choice I pick something with a little magic. This had a different kind of magic. It was a story about the bonds of sisterhood and motherhood. It was a coming of age story in some ways as well. But at its core, I felt the story was focused more on the strength of family even when we think they are slipping away.

I had specific ideas of where I thought this story was going. It never went to the darkest places I imagined, but it kept me hooked because I needed to know how it ended. It was well-written even for being an unedited copy.

It was cryptic and eerie even when nothing creepy was going on. There was always a cloud that followed the characters around. Chase did a masterful job in creating an uncertain and troubling feeling that pervaded the story and the separate story lines.

Her characters were likeable and real. I felt drawn and compassionate to them all and understood when they made mistakes.

If you are looking for a story that unsettles you in more than one way, and yet can make everything clearer then I think this story it for you. It’s a story about family and about loss. It tells the tale of four sisters who choose each other, even when vanities divide. And it open wounds that need to be cleaned when it comes to loves insecurity. A truly emotional and moving story.

You can find it on Amazon in Kindle format for $13.99, in Hardcover for $18.03 and in Audiobook for $29.58.

Synopsis:

Four sisters. One summer. A lifetime of secrets.

When fifteen-year-old Margot and her three sisters arrive at Applecote Manor in June 1959, they expect a quiet English country summer. Instead, they find their aunt and uncle still reeling from the disappearance of their daughter, Audrey, five years before. As the sisters become divided by new tensions when two handsome neighbors drop by, Margot finds herself drawn into the life Audrey left behind. When the summer takes a deadly turn, the girls must unite behind an unthinkable choice or find themselves torn apart forever.

Fifty years later, Jesse is desperate to move her family out of their London home, where signs of her widower husband’s previous wife are around every corner. Gorgeous Applecote Manor, nestled in the English countryside, seems the perfect solution. But Jesse finds herself increasingly isolated in their new sprawling home, at odds with her fifteen-year-old stepdaughter, and haunted by the strange rumors that surround the manor.

Rich with the heat and angst of love both young and old, The Wildling Sisters is a gorgeous and breathtaking journey into the bonds that unite a family and the darkest secrets of the human heart.

Way before Twilight was even thought of, my love of werewolves blossomed while reading L.J. Smith in the 90’s. A wee girl of 11 or 13, I was transfixed, while curled up in my bed dreaming of my werewolf soul mate that was destined in the stars (or so I hoped).

Her creation of the Night World spawned my love. But in truth, it was always there.

I feel if you are a dog lover there is a natural inclination to love the inner wolf that materializes in legends. I have been obsessed with canines since a child. We personify our pets everyday, giving them human qualities that we want to believe they embody.

It seems natural then that we create creatures in our legends that can be both beast and man. Creatures that embody fierce instinctual behaviors and exhibit determined loyalty and bravery. There can be nothing more admirable (in my opinion) in a companion, whether human or beast.

There are of course, two different types of weres. You have the sexy, boyfriend kind that fiercely protect you, and you have the angry, monster kind that want to rip out your insides. I prefer a little pinch of both.

That is why some many moons ago, I bought this story. It was an impulse purchase, believing as I clicked the “buy” button the book would likely stink. But it had werewolves, so there you go.

It has been sitting in my Kindle que ever since.

So, did I like it? That is the question.

20 pages in, I was debating if I wanted to keep reading. A self-published story always comes with some reader hesitation from me. So I wasn’t surprised, when I struggled to get into the story. Who was this character named Ruby? Did I like her? I wasn’t sure. But I was bored and had nothing better to do, so I kept reading. And… it got better.

I ended up enraptured by the story. I read it over two days, spending my Wednesday night sprawled on the couch, the dogs scattered around the room.

What was the hook?

Well my readers, I will tell you. Natusch understands how to drag out a romance connection. If you are writing a book that has sequels, the romance cannot be satisfied in book 1. If it is, you have lost me. The best part of Christmas, isn’t Christmas, it’s Christmas Eve – the anticipation, the excitement! That is what you want to experience. Christmas is boring. The presents are no longer intriguing because I know what’s inside. Just like Christmas, the art of writing a good romance is in the building up to the final unification.

Love triangles and obstacles to the romance help to spread that out, which Natusch does well. Now, 20% into book 2 and the romance is closer to climax, but not fulfilled, thereby keeping me hostage.

The romance building is not the only positive to this story, the characters are all enjoyable. Ruby has grown on me, her sarcastic quips and quick tempter a growing endearing quality. The constant stream of attainable hotties spice up her life with drama, which keeps me spinning.

There were just a few issues I struggled with:

1. The lightness in tone during the dark, scary climax was a bit too light. I wasn’t feeling the danger.

2. The editing could have been a bit more thorough. With self-published novels, I tend to be more aware of the grammar issues and more offended by them. There were sentences that weren’t completely developed that needed a bit more work, but overall it was pretty clean.

Would I recommend this story?

Definitely, but only to werewolf loving, love struck teens (or adults who never grew up like me). If you enjoyed Twilight, you will likely enjoy this as well.

You can find the story on Amazon for 99 cents in Kindle format or in paperback for $11.99.

Synopsis: “I stood in the middle of the room, unmoving – I barely breathed. My life had just become surreal, impossible, and one enormous lie. I needed to go, to run somewhere, anywhere to beat back the reality that was rapidly closing in around me. The image of him was burned into my retina, flashing over and over again like a warning. He was trapped somewhere between human and decidedly not, and I realized that was my new reality.
I was too.”

After the death of her parents, Ruby awakens from a lifetime of shadows and finds herself alone, thrust into a world of lies, deceit, betrayal and the supernatural.

As her quest for truth continues to come up short, she realizes that maybe some questions really are best left unanswered.

When her true identity is finally unveiled, she is forced to choose between two of the mysterious men who continually seem to crop up in her life.

She chooses poorly.

Now abandoned, Ruby must learn to call on the darkness within to survive, or spend a hellish eternity imprisoned because of it.

As a child, a fantasy child, I shied away from the likes of Jordan. I thought to myself, “that’s a book for boys, not girls.” I truly believed that I would not like it, perhaps because I only knew boys who had read it. I had heard of it, of course! Who hasn’t? But some seed had been planted that it wasn’t a book for a female audience.

I don’t know what changed my mind. Maybe, just growing up. But suddenly now, while in my early-ish thirties, I realized that it was time to check it out. I still half expected to hate the story, but I clicked buy on the Kindle version anyways. I told myself that I needed to make sure I wouldn’t like it, instead of just always assuming.

When a book is as popular and legendary as the The Wheel of Time series, one would expect that it should be wonderful, but I had my doubts.

Well…

I can tell you all that I loved it! There were some issues, to be sure. But overall, what an amazing story! I’m hooked. If only I have more time, I would be tearing through book 2 right now. I’ll admit I have been checked out for an entire month, while completely absorbed in this story. When you go back and read the great writers of fantasy, it makes all others pale in comparison. You wonder to yourself, how could I have enjoyed such and such, when something like the Wheel of Time exists?

The world building, the history, the character development were all fantastical!

The female characters not so much. Specifically, Egwene and Nynaeve. What horrible representations of women they were. Stubborn and whiny they both made my skin prickle. Nynaeve, a shrill creature who I felt was controlling and disagreeable. Egwene, largely just annoying and foolish. Jordan tried to make them strong female role models, but instead he just made me wish they would succumb to death or move off the main story. Jordan’s saving grace was the Aes Sedai, Moiraine, a true female leader that did not make me want to run for the hills.

And there was some random comparison to a treadmill that got through, which was just not quite right.

The rest of it was wonderful! I was sucked in and will never, ever, look at another book and genderize it again. How silly I have been.

If you are like me and never read this series because of foolish gender stereotype, stop it right now. Go read it.

You can find it in Kindle format for $8.99 and $10.88 in paperback. Click one of the prices to see additional formats.

Synopsis:

The Wheel of Time turns and Ages come and go, leaving memories that become legend. Legend fades to myth, and even myth is long forgotten when the Age that gave it birth returns again. In the Third Age, an Age of Prophecy, the World and Time themselves hang in the balance. What was, what will be, and what is, may yet fall under the Shadow.

When The Two Rivers is attacked by Trollocs―a savage tribe of half-men, half-beasts― five villagers flee that night into a world they barely imagined, with new dangers waiting in the shadows and in the light.

Do you believe in ghosts? On spooky nights, many children and perhaps some adults ask this question. If you watch shows like Ghost Hunters, you might be more concerned with the answer. I am of the belief anything is possible. I do not actively believe, but if you tell me a house is haunted, I step with a wary foot.

City of Ghosts is a story shockingly enough, about ghosts! And one unlucky immature man. The story was well-written and engaging. A compelling tale that zipped along. A tale that plants you deep into China. I could tell the author had done her research, as she made sure to tell the tale from a tourist perspective. Well researched and planned out, the story was good, but not perfect.

I had one main issue with the story and keep in mind this was my experience. An experience that tends to be the minority of the readers. The main character, Jackson, an African-American, Jackass loving, childish man in his late 20’s (from what I can tell), decides to stay behind on a trip to a Chinese city. My issue here is the character. While not unlikable, he is annoying in a little brother when are you going to grow up kind-of way. It might not have nagged me so much, except he barely grows. He just is forced to deal with the situations he is in and reacts. As a reader, it would have been better if his age was 16 and it was a school trip, then all my qualms with his characterization would be null. I’m not saying I’ve never met an immature 20-something year old, I just don’t want to read about them. It was a disconnect for me.

Regardless of the character issue, the tale was spooky and a promising example of what else Moncrieff can do. I believe many people will enjoy this tale, especially if you love ghost stories.

You can find the tale on Amazon for 99 cents in Kindle format and $16.99 in paperback.

Synopsis:

On the day the villagers were forced to flee Hensu, not everyone got out alive.

Jackson Stone is touring the abandoned Chinese city when he slips away from the group to spend the night, determined to publish an account of his ghostly experiences there.

Then he meets Yuèhai, a strange, soft-spoken woman who can tell him the city’s secrets—secrets the Chinese government would kill to keep hidden.

As Jackson uncovers the truth about Yuèhai and the ghost city, he’s drawn into a web of conspiracy, betrayal, and murder. He must risk everything to save himself and bring honor back to Yuèhai and her family.

THE GIRL BEHIND THE STORY

J.H. Moncrieff’s work has been described as early Gillian Flynn with a little Ray Bradbury and Stephen King thrown in for good measure.

She won Harlequin’s search for “the next Gillian Flynn” in 2016. Her first published novella, The Bear Who Wouldn’t Leave, was featured in Samhain’s Childhood Fears collection and stayed on its horror bestsellers list for over a year.

When not writing, she loves exploring the world’s most haunted places, advocating for animal rights, and summoning her inner ninja in muay thai class.

The sequel to the first, Bitches of Everafter, picked up right where it left off with tongue lashing quibs and crazy magical ladies. It was a playful return to an easy and fun read.

There is nothing negative to say about this story. The only caution I suggest is this is a dark twist on the classic fairytales, and with that twist comes colorful language.

Other than the language, it is a tickling treat to read such a colorful and different take on the classic fairytales. It is fun, it is clever, it is wild and original. Everyone who has a sense of humor should check this story out.

The best part of the story is that it evolves. The characters are constantly changing. Red Riding Hood, the first villain of the tale, changes in ways I never expected. It keeps the characters present and lively.

If you are in the mood for some sassy spirit you can find the book on Amazon in Kindle for $3.99.

Synopsis: An evil curse designed to destroy an entire realm. A queen who just took her last breath. A ruthless villain on the brink of madness. And a dwarf mafia who would kill for some homemade lasagna.

For the five princesses in Everafter, time is running out. If they don’t discover who is behind the curse that banished them to a land far, far away, they will lose their loves, their crowns and their kingdoms–forever.

And one of them will lose her life. Now, there’s just one way to save them. Magic. Except the only one who can wield it doesn’t believe.

What’s worse than being trapped inside a nightmare? Waking up.

*This is the second book in the Everafter trilogy and should be enjoyed chronologically.

Calvin Demmer is a rapid writer when it comes to short stories. The ideas just fly out of his head. In addition to being a fast writer, he has a wonderful taste in book covers. I’m a judge-er, and proud to admit I won’t buy a book unless I like the cover. I believe the cover can reveal much about an author. It can tell me how artistic or compatible I am with the story. I have never read a story I liked that did not have an artsy cover that appealed to my taste buds. Some may argue that authors don’t always have full control over the cover. This is true and something I try to be mindful of. But so far, if it’s an ugly cover, the story usually needs work and leaves me disappointed. So to be safe, if you want people like me to buy your story, take care with the cover the best that you can. Show that you care about the visual representation.

Dying Valentine was the first of the lot I cracked open. A fitting tale for the Valentine’s Day lover or hater depending on your perspective. Demmer has a theme of writing stories around the holidays and this was another festive special. A dark time for many to be sure. Dying Valentine started off feeling like a Supernatural story-line. I thought initially it was the makings of a repeated theme. A dark road and a woman in white, we’ve all heard that one before. But Demmer has his own version that is not quite what I expected. For a twisty end you will have to read it yourself. I wasn’t invested in this story as much because I expected a cliché, and even though it ended on a different note, I never truly embraced the tale.

For this story I give OWLS

Synopsis: Daniel Hill was on edge. He was meeting his girlfriend’s parents for the first time, and they had to go and make Valentine’s Day evening the date. Who did that? Wasn’t Valentine’s Day for couples and not families? Then the girl in the white dress wandered in front of his vehicle. At that moment, Daniel knew his night was going to take a wrong turn…

If only he knew the new course would lead him down a dark one-way path.

She Will Rise was much more captivating. A domestic situation that goes batty. I felt drawn in by the ill mother and daughter relationship from the beginning. My only wish is that it had been longer in order to establish the twist that occurs in the end. It felt a bit rushed, and I felt that the protagonist needed more time to feel her rage. In addition, I would have benefited from some kind of explanation for the events that unfolded. I felt there was too much unexplained. Therefore, great beginning and solid middle, but the ending needed more.

For this story I give OWLS

Synopsis:Luna Mendes has come home from college for Easter. She finds her mother bedridden, far more ill than she feared. Her stepfather hasn’t changed, though. And that is a problem. Before the weekend is out, something will rise against the darkness that has haunted her family.

Spring Outbreak flowed the smoothest and was the most enrapturing of the stories from this horde. There was a better lead up to the crazy that follows. I enjoyed this story the best because I felt the emotions of fear the most. The isolation was the most compelling of all the emotions and I believe Demmer captured it well. Demmer’s endings can be somewhat abrupt at times, but this time it did not bother me. It felt appropriate. Demmer has great ideas, I look forward to when he expands on them into a longer length tale.

For this story I give OWLS

Synopsis:Gwen Montgomery has come to Mexico during spring break to clear her mind. It seems like the perfect solution after a difficult breakup. Unfortunately, she couldn’t be more wrong. When she wakes after falling asleep on the beach, the horrific scene she finds sends her running. But she can’t run forever.

THE MAN BEHIND THE STORIES:

Calvin Demmer is a crime, mystery, and speculative fiction author. He has had over thirty stories published in various magazines and anthologies. When not writing, he is intrigued by that which goes bump in the night and the sciences of our universe.

(I apologize for my slacking ways. My reading list has been growing longer as I have not been as diligent in my reading the past couple months due to life).

I was pleased to be offered an ARC copy of this new title by Rhett C. Bruno. An ever-growing favorite of mine, Bruno really outdid himself with this novel.

Bruno comes into this novel with a different voice from his other pieces of work — a subtler tone that invades the overall story. This voice resonated with me on a different level. I felt drawn in, in ways his other works hadn’t quite captured. I was a hooked fish. This story truly shows Bruno’s evolution as a storyteller.

I felt there was deeper character development than I had seen before with Bruno. I really felt entrenched in the story and the events that unfolded. I loved so much of the scenery that was painted for my imagination. One of my favorite scenes is when the characters enter the atmosphere wearing sky wings that allow them to soar like birds. I could feel the characters soaring through space, the atmosphere whipping their synthetic wings violently. What a great scene that remains with me even now.

It made me finally download Mass Effect, not because they are related, but because I needed another Sci-fi fix.

I was excited to be back in the Titan universe, and my love of Bruno’s work continues on with this latest installment. Kale Drayton’s (protagonist) story is an exceptional rebirth story, a criminal to hero tale. This is a dystopian novel, where the oppressed rise up when the chips are finally bloody enough.

If you are looking for a tale of unlikely and complicated heroes, then check this story out.

Synopsis:Kale Drayton knows his place. As a Ringer, he’s used to keeping his head down and his mouth shut—no matter how much the Earthers abuse him or his own kind berate him. So when he’s caught stealing from a wealthy merchant, he’s lucky to be sentenced to low-paying maintenance work on a gas-harvesting ship instead of life in a cell . . . or worse.

But when his mother is quarantined, Kale finds himself backed into a corner. To pay for her medicine, he needs money—the kind of money he’ll never make sweeping floors and cleaning ships. So when he receives a mysterious offer asking him to do a simple job in exchange for his mother’s treatment, Kale takes a chance once more. All he has to do is upload a program onto his employer’s ship and all of his problems will disappear.

What starts as a straightforward smuggling gig soon reveals its shattering repercussions. The people who hired Kale are more dangerous than he suspected—and he’s more important to them than he ever could have imagined.

THE MAN BEHIND THE STORY:

Rhett is a Sci-fi/Fantasy author currently living in Stamford, Connecticut. He is represented by Dystel & Goderich out of NYC and his published works include books in the Amazon Bestselling CIRCUIT SERIES (Published by Diversion Books) and TITANBORN (Random House Hydra).

Rhett has been writing since he can remember, scribbling down what he thought were epic short stories when he was young to show to his friends and family. When he reached high school he decided to take that a step further and write his first novel. After the encouragement of his favorite English teacher, he decided to self-publish the “Isinda Trilogy” so that the people closest to him could enjoy his early work.

While studying architecture at Syracuse University, he continued to write as much as he could, but finding the time during the brutal curriculum proved difficult. It wasn’t until he was a senior that he decided to finally pursue his passion for Science Fiction. After rededicating himself to reading works of the Science Fiction authors he always loved, (Frank Herbert, Timothy Zahn, Heinlein, etc.) he began writing “The Circuit: Executor Rising”, the first part of a space opera series.

Since then he’s been hired by an Architecture firm in South Norwalk, CT. But that hasn’t stopped him from continuing to work on all of the countless stories bouncing around in his head. He’s also recently earned a Certificate in Screenwriting from the New School in NYC, in the hopes of one day writing for TV or Video Games.

I seem to be on a roll with my Netgalley picks lately. The past three I have been granted have been thoroughly enjoyable, this strange trollish tale included.

Lavalle was new to me, but I like the concept of the story. For many children, a common story they may have heard growing up was Outside Over There by Maurice Sendak, first published 1981. This tale tells the story of a baby that gets snatched by goblins and is replaced with an imposter. I remember this story from my own childhood. It always drew me in and at the same time creeped me out. The Changeling is a re-imagined version of this, a story about mythical baby snatchers in our everyday world.

The story starts off slow, but never boring. You get to know the characters intimately. You have a deep sense of who they are before the horror and adventure begins. At first, I thought the beginning was too drawn out, but I disagree with myself now. I enjoyed the backstory and the beginning, it allowed me to care for Apollo (the protagonist) and his desperate journey to understand his current chaos.

If you have a fond memory of Sendak’s tales, or even if you just enjoy a good mystical mystery, this story is deep and enchanting. I very much enjoyed this read and hope to explore more of Lavalle’s work later on.

The book is yet to be published, but I recommend adding it to your to read pile on Goodreads. Expected publication is June 13, 2017.

Synopsis:

One man’s thrilling journey through an enchanted world to find his wife, who has disappeared after seemingly committing an unforgivable act of violence, from the award-winning author of the The Devil in Silver and Big Machine.

“If the literary gods mixed together Haruki Murakami and Ralph Ellison…the result would be Victor LaValle.”—Anthony Doerr

Apollo Kagwa has had strange dreams that have haunted him since childhood. An antiquarian book dealer with a business called Improbabilia, he is just beginning to settle into his new life as a committed and involved father, unlike his own father who abandoned him, when his wife Emma begins acting strange. Disconnected and uninterested in their new baby boy, Emma at first seems to be exhibiting all the signs of post-partum depression, but it quickly becomes clear that her troubles go far beyond that. Before Apollo can do anything to help, Emma commits a horrific act—beyond any parent’s comprehension—and vanishes, seemingly into thin air. Thus begins Apollo’s odyssey through a world he only thought he understood to find a wife and child who are nothing like he’d imagined. His quest begins when he meets a mysterious stranger who claims to have information about Emma’s whereabouts. Apollo then begins a journey that takes him to a forgotten island in the East River of New York City, a graveyard full of secrets, a forest in Queens where immigrant legends still live, and finally back to a place he thought he had lost forever. This dizzying tale is ultimately a story about family and the unfathomable secrets of the people we love.

I seem to be reading crime/horror more and more these days. In truth, I never thought that I would enjoy the crime/horror genre. But whenever I get asked to read a new genre, I like to take a chance. I wonder, will I be surprised and enjoy something outside my comfort zone? Due to taking those chances, I now can say that I do like the crime/horror genre, which was a shock to me. In the end, it’s all about the quality of the story.

I should state that Dead Over Heels is not really horror, it’s more paranormal with a pinch of violence. I had no idea where this story would lead me. It started off innocent and sweet. However, as the story unraveled I was hooked with each page turn. This was a nicely crafted novelette. And yet, it was full bodied in its shortness. Braun is a good writer, I was drawn in for the ride and never saw the twists coming. It was a fulfilling read. I was left feeling I had read an entire novel (in a good way). I didn’t feel like I was missing anything. I highly recommend readers take a chance on this tale. If you don’t mind a little domestic drama, this will pleasantly surprise you.

Synopsis:Veronica’s first date with Sebastian not only stirs up a powerful attraction, but also a series of supernatural events that will tear them apart.

After countless hours of dead end online dating, Veronica meets up with Sebastian at a reportedly haunted restaurant, since he knows she has a fascination with the paranormal. While enjoying their meals and each other’s company, they share a shocking supernatural experience. Their romantic connection is overshadowed by the ghosts of their own pasts that threaten to destroy their budding relationship. Veronica decides she must return to the restaurant to face her past and dig up more answers. Unfortunately, she realizes she must go back, this time with a reluctant Sebastian. In the end, they join forces against the evil that stands between them, but will they make it out alive?

THE GIRL BEHIND THE STORY:

Theresa Braun was born in St. Paul, Minnesota and has carried some of that hardiness with her to South Florida where she currently resides with her two fur babies, who are her creative sidekicks. She enjoys delving into creative writing, painting, photography and even bouts of ghost hunting. Traveling is one of her passions—in fact, her latest adventure took her to Romania for a horror writers’ workshop where she followed in the steps of Vlad the Impaler. She writes horror fiction and the occasional romance. Oh, and she likes to guest blog about writing, television shows, movies, and books, mostly in the horror genre. Her short story “Shout at the Devil” appears in Under the Bed Magazine, “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” in Hindered Souls, and “Dead over Heels” is soon to be published by Frith Books.